What Christians Do: Living Like Jesus in a Divided World

“Insightful and practical, What Christians Do challenged me to become more like Jesus.” —Bishop Tom Berlin

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“Mark Reynolds reveals how what you do defines you more than what you claim to believe…” —Paul W. Chilcote

A Practical Guide to Faith in Action

What if the greatest challenge facing Christianity today isn’t what we believe—but how we live?

Many Christians sincerely believe in Jesus, yet our beliefs do not always shape how we treat others, respond to conflict, exercise power, or engage with a divided world. Too often, Christianity becomes a set of ideas to defend rather than a way of life that forms us in the image of Christ.

What Christians Do: Living Like Jesus in a Divided World calls us back to the heart of discipleship—not simply believing in Jesus, but learning to live like him.

Rooted in Scripture and the Wesleyan tradition, this practical, hope-filled book explores six practices God can use to transform us from the inside out. These practices will not make us perfect, nor will they offer easy answers to every problem. They will help us become more compassionate, courageous, humble, and faithful people whose lives bear witness to the grace of God.

What This Book Will Help You Do

Whether you read individually or with a small group, What Christians Do will help you:

• Recognize the gap between professing Christian beliefs and embodying the way of Jesus.
• Understand spiritual practices as ways God forms our character, not merely religious obligations.
• Respond to conflict and division with greater humility, wisdom, and grace.
• Replace judgment and defensiveness with empathy, forgiveness, mercy, and love.
• Connect personal spiritual growth with God’s call to justice and service.
• Develop a faith that can wrestle honestly with doubt, suffering, and difficult questions.
• Share your faith in ways that are authentic, respectful, and grounded in relationship.
• Take practical steps toward becoming more like Jesus in everyday life.

Six Practices for Becoming More Like Jesus

1. Surrender

Release the illusion that we can control everything and learn to entrust our lives more fully to God. Surrender creates the openness necessary for genuine spiritual transformation.

2. Forgiveness

Face the reality of hurt without allowing resentment to control the future. Forgiveness is not denial, excusing abuse, or avoiding accountability. It is the difficult work of seeking freedom, healing, and reconciliation wherever possible.

3. Empathy

Learn to listen carefully, see through another person’s eyes, and respond with compassion. Empathy helps us move beyond stereotypes and defensiveness so that disagreement does not destroy relationship.

4. Mercy and Justice

Hold together two dimensions of Christlike love that should never be separated. Mercy responds compassionately to people who are hurting, while justice confronts the conditions and systems that cause or deepen their suffering.

5. Wrestling with God

Bring doubts, questions, disappointments, and struggles honestly into our relationship with God. Mature faith does not require unquestioning certainty; it gives us the courage to wrestle faithfully and remain open to transformation.

6. Sharing Faith

Bear witness to God’s grace through honest relationships, compassionate service, and the way we live. Sharing faith is not about pressuring people or winning arguments. It is about inviting others to experience the love of God we have encountered in Jesus.

Together, these practices offer a hopeful vision of Christian discipleship for a divided world—a faith that does more than proclaim the name of Jesus. It gradually forms us into people who live like him.

Praise for What Christians Do

“Mark Reynolds reveals how what you do defines you more than what you claim to believe. He demonstrates how practices—the spiritual disciplines of Jesus—shape your life. If you are up for this liberating, life-altering challenge, this book is for you.”

—Paul W. Chilcote, Honorary Lifetime Fellow, Wesley House, Cambridge, England; and award-winning author of Multiplying Love, On Love, and The Fullest Possible Love

“Each chapter offers a fresh look at what Christians do when our beliefs become a way of life that is rooted in the love of Christ. This book is insightful and practical, and it challenged me to become more like Jesus.”

—Tom Berlin, Bishop of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and author of Jesus is Lord

“When I was learning to play the drums, my teacher would often say, ‘Slow down, do it again. You got this.’ What works for music lessons is also good advice for Christian existence. In this wonderful book, Mark Reynolds encourages us to ‘slow down and do it again’ in the work of living as Christians. With the rigor of a theologian but in the voice of a pastor, Reynolds’ book is a constant reminder that ‘you got this.’”

—J. Aaron Simmons, Professor of Philosophy at Furman University and author of Camping with Kierkegaard

“Mark gets it right. Faith is a verb. Christianity is a life to be lived, not a creed to be affirmed. Mark knows this from his own experience and as a pastor who has helped people live like Jesus for years.”

—Steve Harper, retired Methodist pastor and professor of Spiritual Formation and Wesley Studies

“Mark Reynolds reminds us that being a follower of Jesus requires action, such that our behavior shapes our becoming. His book is both insightful and practical, and it will help strengthen your spiritual journey.”

—Magrey R. deVega, Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist Church, Tampa, Florida; and author of Questions Jesus Asked, Embracing the Uncertain, and The Bible Year

“With the heart of a poet and the eye of a novelist, Mark Reynolds sheds a beautiful gospel light on the daily lives and actions of Jesus-followers. Pastors and congregants will find much encouragement and power in this book.”

—M. Douglas Meeks, Emeritus Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies, Vanderbilt University Divinity School 

“This is a book we need today! Drawing on his scholarly wisdom, pastoral heart, and genuine human experience, Mark Reynolds encourages us to experience the practices through which faith comes alive. This book enables us to do what Christians do!”

—James A. Harnish, retired Methodist pastor and author of Everyday Epiphanies

“What Christians Do is not another dusty prescriptive to-do list for believers. Reynolds cuts through doctrinal conflict, the hypocrisy of religiosity, and the clutter of the culture. This book is an invitation to fully live what you believe, daily stepping toward the heart of Christ.”

—Christine Parton Burkett, Consulting Faculty, Duke Divinity School

Continue the Journey

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As the release of What Christians Do approaches, I’ll also share behind-the-book reflections, excerpts, practical resources, and news about how individuals, small groups, and churches can use the book.

Join me as we explore a deeper faith rooted in grace, spiritual formation, and the way of Jesus.